Tonight, tomorrow
by Hwasabi Mon
Summary: Rick is heading home after a long day, when he finds something he never expected to find at the train station. Or someone. AU meeting, before the show happens. Rated T for safety. Possible chapter 2.


**Hello. It's me again. I know I didn't update my previous story like I said I would, but I have more time now and wish to finish it for the people who still care. And I will, just not today. Today I have this for anyone still willing to read whatever I write. I don't even know where this came from and why I felt the need to write it, but here it is. Anyway, thanks for being here. I tried a different style of POV in this so I hope you don't mind and it isn't too confusing.  
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 **All mistakes are mine.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Castle.**

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 _ **Tonight, tomorrow**_

 _Chapter 1_

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He was going home from one of those boring meetings with publishers. Schedules, deadlines, meeting and stuff he didn't even want to think about were thrown into his face. Didn't these people have families? Didn't they understand he just wanted to go home and curl up with his little girl and watch Disney movies? No, they only cared about his public persona and how much money he would make for them. Rick was quite frustrated as he finally left the building. It was pretty late but his daughter was still probably waiting for him.

It was raining outside so he hurried through the train station doors. A few people were milling around but it was surprisingly empty considering New York is the city that never sleeps. Maybe the rain was compelling people to stay home and not have a care in the world.

That was obviously not the case with the woman sitting on the bench to his right. Hunched, as if trying to be as small of a target as possible and hide from the world. Her curly brown hair fell around her shoulders, covering her face. He knew he should just buy his ticked and go home to Alexis, but... something in him resolutely wanted to stay and talk to her. He felt a sudden urge to find out her name and problems, tell her everything will be fine and hug her as hard as possi- yea that would probably go well. It was stupid, really. She probably just wanted to be left alone. But he couldn't leave, the writer didn't allow it. He took a step closer to the mysterious girl instead.

„Um, excuse m-" Rick stopped. Every word he had in his arsenal flew right out of his head when the girl, barely a young woman, turned to him with the saddest set of eyes he has ever seen. Even through the tears swimming in them, he didn't fail to notice their beauty, as well as their owner's.

She was looking at him expectantly and Rick realized he must've looked like an idiot, standing there with his mouth open.

„I'm sorry...my name is Rick." He recovered quickly and shot her one of his playboy smiles, the kind that made women's knees tremble. By the unimpressed look on her teary face, she didn't seem to share their opinion. He offer her his hand anyway and after a few seconds, just when he thought he would have to run and change his name before she called the cops on him for bothering her, maybe Alexis would like a new school somewhere in Alaska and he could possibly even color his hair blond... all his fears disappeared as she took his hand.

„Hi." She didn't offer anything else, her name for example, but one word was enough to send shivers down his spine. There weren't many instances in which the great Richard Castle couldn't get a word out of his mouth, but this stranger managed that with a single word. He really should just go. But… the darkness he glimpsed behind her eyes, the tears she tried to hide behind her indifferent mask and there was one other emotion that surprised him. Fear. Despite his better judgment and the voice in his head telling him he still had work to do, a voice that sounded too much like Gina even though they weren't married anymore, he sat down next to her.

He just now noticed that she was holding a small paperback, clutching it like a lifeline anchoring her to the world. Despite his inconspicuous ninja attempts, he couldn't see the title or the author.

"What are you reading?" He would try anything to break the awkward silence and start a conversation with her. Even though he immediately realized it was a mistake when she tensed up and hid the book inside of the jacket she was wearing.

"Nothing." Again, she didn't offer anything else. Why was this woman so frustrating… why did it even matter? Alexis was probably waiting for him already, talking his mother's ear off about the new Disney film she wanted to watch.

He wanted to ask her so many questions like why was she at a train station, alone, in tears at this time of the night? Or why did she feel like shooting down any attempt at casual conversation? Why did he even feel slightly hurt when he had no right to feel so? She was a stranger, probably just waiting for a train home.

Some of the irrational hurt must've shown on his face because when he glanced at her, she looked like she was fighting with herself over the guilt on her face. He sat quietly, not looking at her, trying to give her space. He considered just getting up and leaving again when the rustle of clothing beside him alerted him to her movement. He looked up and saw her looking straight at him, her body slightly turned to his. A small gesture of openness, if nothing else.

"My name's… Katherine." She managed to get out. "But you can call me Kate." Kate. He tried that name on his tongue and was rewarded with a slight upturn of her lips. God she was beautiful. Even hunched over, with tears in her eyes she was trying so hard to hide.

"Well… what is a girl like you doing at a train station at…" he paused, looking at his watch. "One in the morning?" Geez, Martha will be really angry that he kept Alexis waiting for so long.

Kate just rolled her eyes and the obvious pick-up line. "What are you, forty? That line is probably older than this station." But the small laugh he got from her was worth the jab.

"You never know, plastic surgery is getting better every day."

"True." She fell silent again and he wished she would smile again. Her smile seemed to light up the whole room, as cheesy as it sounded. But the question still nagged him so he asked her why she was there again.

"I…had nowhere else to go." Her voice was so small he could have sworn he was looking at Alexis. That's probably the reason he wanted to help her so much, even though she bore no physical resemblance to his daughter. She was so young it hurt to see her so down.

Then the dam broke and a single tear slipped down her cheek. She looked away, trying to hide it. He didn't know what possessed him at the moment and he would probably regret it later when she called the cops on him, but Rick couldn't just leave her crying alone. He put a hand on her shoulder, then hesitated a second, but his left hand seemed to have mind of its own as it sneaked to her other shoulder and pulled her to him. Her head rested right under his chin and he could feel her tears soaking the coat he was wearing over a knitted sweater.

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 _Kate, what are you doing?_ Crying on a strangers shoulder seemed like a new low, but after today she just didn't care. Didn't care that she found her father drunk. Didn't care that they had a fight. Didn't care that in his alcohol-induced stupor he basically kicked her out. She just simply didn't care. Because her mother was dead. Gone. She left her alone in this world because her father was gone as well. What was worse, he chose to go rather than realize that she was grieving too. But Rick, this stranger, he was so… warm and alive and real. She couldn't help but want to bury herself in his scent and just stay there forever and ignore the world. Well… what a healthy thought considering she was curled up in the arms of her mom's favorite writer's arms. What were the odds?

Life had a funny way of messing with her heart, it seems.

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Rick didn't know how long they have been sitting there, him holding her together while she seemed to fall apart in his arms. When her tears somewhat subsided and her breathing wasn't so ragged, Kate lifted her head and looked right into his eyes. His heart shattered at the anguish in her eyes that quickly changed into a look so empty, he could've sworn she hadn't been crying for god know how long if it weren't for the tear tracks still visible on her face.

"I.. I don't know what got into me, I'm sorry" Even her voice was empty and he wished he could see the woman from a few seconds ago. Because no matter how much it pained him to see her hurt, the empty look in her eyes scared him out of his mind.

She climbed out of his embrace and he immediately missed her warmth. It seemed like it was gone from her eyes as well.

" I really should go. Thanks for whatever that was but I'm fine now… you can just go home." She got up to leave but he was faster and snatched her elbow. The look she gave him was still empty, but the flicker of anger had been worth for breaking the façade she seemed to conjure out of nowhere. No one so young should know how to do that.

"Where will you go?"

"Why do you care?"

"You just said you had nowhere to go?"

"Again, why do you care?"

"I care because-" Rick stopped. Their whispered fight would not deter him. "I care, because you look like you need help." She bristled at that so he hurried to finish his sentence. "I've never seen anyone look so sad and the fact that you managed to hide it so fast scares the hell out of me. I just don't want to see anyone taking advantage of you for being sad."

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Who was this stranger to talk to her like she was some kind of a child. _You need help_. Please, she could take care of herself…she had to. At least that was the lie she told herself numerous times while sitting on that stupid bench.

"Like you want to take advantage of me?" She didn't even know why she said it, she was just so angry at him, for making her feel anything, at her father, at the world, even at her mother for being so careless and getting herself killed. But the look of horror on his face as he physically recoiled, hit her harder than she expected and had her taking her words back in a second. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply...that you would… whatever." He was still looking at her like she was made of glass and she hated it. She wanted to punch him in the face for assuming she was weak. How dare he assume anything about her.

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Again, there it was, that flicker of sadness that indicated she was deep in thought. What happened to her that made her this way? He couldn't help but feel sad for her that she had to learn to hide her emotions. Whoever hurt her, Rick hoped they will rot in hell.

Rick made up his mind. He won't leave her when she looked so desperate and alone. But he also had to get home. Suddenly the obvious solution hit him in the face.

"Would you…like to come with me?"

There was a tense silence where she looked at him like he was crazy. Maybe he should revisit his plan about changing his name and identity.

That was crazy and she was crazy for even considering it. Unfortunately, her only other option different than sleeping at the station was going home to her drunk father. She really didn't want to see him tonight, not when she was this angry. Because she still cared about him, but it was hard to see past the man he has become.

Tonight, she could be careless. She could forget about home, about life and death, about everything. Tomorrow she would get up, get a job, help her dad into a clinic or something. Tonight though, she just wanted to be Kate for a while.

Their staring contest continued for a few seconds and then the most magical thing happened.

"Yes."

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 **Soooo that's it for now. Would you be even interested in second chapter? (I feel like writing) Fun fact: I wrote this in hour and half and the working title was INeedTissues xD.**

 **Anyway, thank you for reading and let me know if you're still reading and want more :)**

 **Monika.**


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